The Fourth

We missed it. We missed the fourth of July. Between being so busy with work and school neither Jaden or I did our research to learn that most Chicago Fourth of July festivities were taking place on the third since the fourth fell on a Sunday. So while we were eating dinner and dessert on the opposite side of town there were fireworks and events going on that we totally missed. It ended up being really funny but also kind of a bummer.

Instead we got up on the morning of the fourth and went to check out a breakfast place Jacquelyn and Dane recommended called Yolk. On our way there I got a phone call from my boss asking if we were ok and if we were anywhere near the parade where there was a shooting. Fortunately we weren't it was about 40 minutes north of where we were but it definitely put a damper on the day. Sadly the Fourth of July is one of the deadliest weekends of the year in Chicago. Historically there is usually an increase of gang related violence over the weekend. Local news outlets said there were 71 reported shootings the weekend of the Fourth of July eight of which were deadly. It really breaks your heart to know there is violence like that in the world. My heart goes out to the victims and families who mourn the loss of loved ones and fight through recovery from injuries.

That being said I will say that we live in a really good part of town and even though bad things have the potential to happen anywhere we have both felt safe living where we live. We try to be smart and don't go walking around town late at night, Jaden always goes with me when I leave the apartment and we try to walk with a purpose and haven't had any reasons to feel unsafe. I pray that continues and truly feel an increase in compassion for people who don't enjoy that same safety, makes you so grateful for things you take for granted on a daily basis. 

Yolk ended up being an awesome breakfast spot we'll definitely return to. After we finished up there we went by Mariano's (the Smith's grocery store of Chicago) and bought a bunch of food for an indoor barbeque with Peter and Alexa as well as Megan and Mason (other friends from high school that just moved to the city). 

It was a lot of fun to see Megan and Mason again. I was really close with Megan in elementary school but we drifted apart in junior high and high school and I hadn't seen her or her husband Mason since we graduated. Again leave it to meeting up in Chicago to reconnect, but it was a lot of fun to see them again and all hang out together with Pete and Alexa. And of course Jaden being the awesome chef and host that he is decided to make cheese stuffed burgers for the crew that were awesome. Our friends back home always say you can always count on the Richins for good food and Jaden definitely lives up to that accolade. 

We live across the street from Millennial Park and I had seen lots of events going on at the park including weekly symphonies at the big stage where Lolapalooza is held. I saw one for a movie score symphony with Cirque du Soleil dancers and talked Jaden into going by making his mom's famous chicken salad sandwiches and doing a picnic and concert at the park. The line and turnout was huge! It is such a popular event and was so fun to meet up with Pete and Alexa and Megan and Mason again and have dinner and listen to music and hangout together.

One especially funny part was before we made it through the gate they check our coolers and bags and the security lady asked Jaden if he was over 18. He was so taken aback and slightly offended I thought it was hilarious. I called him my teenage boyfriend the rest of the night and it bugged him so much. 

On the way out of the park we caught some fireflies, Alexa had never seen them before. I think they are so magical and love watching people see them for the first time. I'll never forget running around chasing them in the field behind the Dennis family's home on my mission when I saw them for the first time in Tennessee. Pure magic. 

To round out the week we went and met up with the VanVleet's my parents good friends. Terry and my dad were best buds in high school and he and his wife Laura have lived in Chicago for several years now. They were the ones we stayed with in Chicago and went on all the adventures with last summer as we toured the city for the first time during our journey to Pittsburgh. This time they asked us if we wanted to go see Milwaukee. We figured we probably wouldn't ever go there on our own so figured why not? Let's go have some cheese curds and go on another VanVleet adventure. 

It was a lot of fun, we saw the arena where the Bucks play, did a riverboat tour, and ate cheesecurds and ice cream. We downloaded a tour the city app and learned more about original city church buildings, theatres and town squares. We even happened upon the birth place of the American League of baseball. Terry was so excited, he's a big baseball fan and played all through high school. 

My favorite part was going to the Milwaukee Public Market which was a big warehouse type space filled with local vendors supplying all sorts of food. There was a booth full of different olive oils and balsamic vinegars that we spent some time at Terry and Laura wanted to sample a couple of balsamic vinegars and ended up getting caught for 15 minutes sampling all sorts of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Afterward Terry said I need some water or something to get this oil taste out of my mouth. They kept giving him little “tastes” of oil in little cups. I’m not sure the intent was to drink the whole thing but Terry did. So we went to a nearby ice cream shop called the Purple Door. It didn’t actually have a purple door which was disappointing but it did have a bunch of unique flavors and was a perfect way to end the day. 

Finally to finish off the week after church and some homework on Sunday we went to my dads cousins April and Al’s house for family dinner. It was so fun to see them and their son Michael and his wife Tina and their two cute little kids. I hadn’t seen them in years so it was fun to reconnect, introduce them to Jaden and just sit on a back porch and enjoy the sunset and some delicious food. 

I’ve said it so often but it never ceases to amaze me how blessed we are to find family and friends no matter where we go. 

Peaches 

• Concert in the park
• Hanging out with friends
• Seeing Terry and Laura
• Cheese curds in Milwaukee 
• Visiting April, Al, and fam
• Jaden FaceTiming our niece Sloane and telling her a bedtime story about the beginnings of America

• Pretty sunset through the buildings

Pits 

• Fourth of July shootings
• Roasting on the boat tour
• Feeling bittersweet about going home next week excited to see family but sad about leaving Jaden

• Protest outside our window about the Ukraine war. Heart goes out to the Ukrainian people